Is a smooth landing the test of a good pilot – and should we clap after touchdown?

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If you’ve travelled on a plane enough times, you’ve probably experienced a bumpy landing or two. It’s not a particularly reassuring feeling - but is it the reflection of a bad pilot? Telegraph Travel investigates.

The art of a good landing

“There’s no point denying that the autopilot does most of the work,” Sam Bray, a Monarch pilot, previously told Telegraph Travel. “On a regular flight the autopilot does around 90 per cent of the flying.” It's the take-off and landings which require by far the most attention on the pilot’s part.

A good landing does therefore reflect a pilot’s skill, according to Joe D’Eon, a former pilot, who suggests: "If you want to say something nice to a pilot as you’re getting off the plane, say ‘Nice landing.’ We do appreciate that.”